It’s that time of year again when many NHL teams begin to contemplate which direction they are going in. Are they close enough to being a Stanley Cup contender or are they closer to winning the Adam Larsson sweepstakes? Should they add a few pieces and make a run at the cup or should they trade what they have for draft picks?

The Blue Jackets are in a tough position as they are in 13th place in the West with 46 points and presently are sitting 6 points out of a playoff spot. A six point deficit is not a lot, however when you have to jump 5 other teams to get there, it seems next to impossible. Not to mention two of the five teams are the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings who are both underachieving in a big way. This is the position the Blue Jackets find themselves in after 45 games played this season.

The NHL Trade Deadline is scheduled for February 28. The Blue Jackets play 16 games from now until the trade deadline in order to evaluate the future of the team. In the next 13 games the Blue Jackets play 7 games against teams that are in positions of 6th through 12th in the West. These games will begin tomorrow night and continue until the 18th of February. By then the picture should be very clear to the Blue Jackets if they have any hope of making a push for the playoffs.

It is not going to be an easy road ahead for the Blue Jackets. The toughest position to be in at the end of the season is standing a few points out of a playoff spot. You don’t make the playoffs and you don’t have an excellent draft position. In fact you aren’t close to winning the Stanley Cup or the Larsson Cup.

Jacket Buzz

Mike Commodore – Commodore just cleared waivers today. At 6.85 million over two years he is t00 expensive for any team to take a chance on, even at 1/2 price. He is reporting to the farm team in Springfield until the Blue Jackets are able to trade him, if they are able to trade him. At this point there has been very little interest in any other team acquiring Commodore. Too expensive, too slow, and on the wrong side of his prime.

Fathers Trip – The Blue Jackets are taking their fathers on their mini road-trip this week. The fathers flew into town today to accompany their sons to travel to the sunny state of Florida. The Jackets will play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night and the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night.